House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Sunday did not indicate that he would put the Senate-passed supplemental package on foreign aid on the floor this week, despite mounting pressure from Democrats and some GOP lawmakers to do so after Iran’s retaliatory strike against Israel.
During an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” Johnson noted that House members were pulling together details for a new package.
“We’re going to try again this week, and the details of that package are being put together right now,” he said. “We’re looking at the options and all these supplemental issues.”
The House initially passed its GOP-led Israel support package days after Johnson was elected speaker in October. The package, which paired $14.3 billion in aid to Israel with cuts to IRS funding, was deemed dead on arrival in the Democratic-led Senate and President Joe Biden vowed to veto it.
Then, in February, the House failed to pass a stand-alone Israel aid bill without those IRS cuts, with many Republicans voting with Democrats to defeat the effort.
That same month, the Senate passed a $95 billion national security package that included aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, but Johnson rejected the deal after killing a bipartisan effort in the Senate to address security at the U.S.-Mexico border. And, under pressure from GOP hard-liners who have warned him that tying Ukraine aid to the bill could prove detrimental to his speakership, Johnson has yet to address aid to the war-town country months later.
On Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that the “best” way to help Israel was to “pass the supplemental this week.”
“I’ve called on Speaker Johnson to do that,” he added during a New York City press conference after a phone call between Biden and the four congressional leaders, including Johnson. “There was a consensus on the phone among all the leaders that we had to help Israel and help Ukraine, and now hopefully we can work that out and get this done next week.”
Asked on Sunday whether he is considering former President Donald Trump’s idea of turning Ukraine aid into a loan, Johnson touted his meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Friday, saying that they are “100% united on these big agenda items.”
“When you talk about aid to Ukraine, he’s introduced the loan lease concept, which is a really important one, I think, has a lot of consensus,” he said, adding that seizing the assets of a “corrupt Russian oligarchy” to help fund Ukrainian resistance is also among the ideas he thinks can reach consensus.
“And that’s what we’ve been working through,” he said. “We’ll send our package, we’ll put something together and send it to the Senate and get these obligations complete.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Saturday urged Congress to pass the supplemental military aid package that has been held up for months. McConnell said the U.S. must stand with Israel after Iran launched retaliatory attacks against the country in response to the Israeli bombing of its consular building in Syria that killed two of Tehran’s top military leaders.
“We cannot hope to deter conflict without demonstrating resolve and investing seriously in American strength. The Commander-in-Chief and the Congress must discharge our fundamental duties without delay,” he said of the package that ties aid to Ukraine and Israel. “The consequences of failure are clear, devastating, and avoidable.”
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, R-Ohio, on Sunday said he expects the House to pass the long-stalled supplemental military aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan this week with “overwhelming support.”
“Ukraine is beginning to lose the ability to defend itself and the United States must step up and provide Ukraine the weapons that they need,” he said during an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
“I think we’re going to see overwhelming support for that in the House this week,” he added.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he hopes the U.S. could provide aid to Ukraine and fund security at the border at the same time.
“I for one am prepared to help Ukraine, but I want to see us deal with the southern border. And that was the negotiation, that was the talk, that was the agreement. That’s what was going to happen and it didn’t happen,” he said during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “What they came up with was unacceptable when it came to the border, but I remain a supporter of helping Ukraine. But I’m a big supporter and even bigger supporter of helping America as an American senator. And so I hope those two things can happen.”
Johnson, who has…
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